Resin Pigment Guide
Calculate how much pigment to add to resin, and explore color mixing and opacity guides.
Pigment Amount Calculator
Opacity Reference Guide
Color Mixing Guide for Resin
1:1 ratio for mid-orange; more red for burnt orange; more yellow for golden orange.
1:1 for mid-green; more blue for teal; more yellow for lime.
1:1 for violet; more red for magenta-purple; more blue for indigo.
More white = lighter pink; small amount of red = blush.
Add white gradually for soft, chalky pastels good for faux stone effects.
Use sparingly — a tiny drop of black goes a long way and can muddy colours.
Pigment Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Resin won't cure / stays sticky | Too much acrylic paint or water-based pigment | Keep acrylic paint under 5%; use dry mica or alcohol-based pigments instead |
| Colour fades or yellows | Low-quality pigment or UV exposure | Use UV-stable mica powders; add UV stabiliser to resin |
| Pigment clumps / streaks | Mica powder not dispersed | Pre-mix mica into a small amount of resin before adding to full batch |
| Bubbles in pigmented resin | Whipping during mixing | Mix slowly; use a heat gun briefly after pouring |
| Colour muddy or brown | Too many mixed pigments | Limit to 2–3 pigments; avoid mixing complementary colours (red+green, blue+orange) |
| Alcohol ink bleeds | Resin too warm or ink added too early | Cool resin slightly; add alcohol ink after partial cure for cells/art effects |
Pigmenting Resin Successfully
The most important rule: keep total pigment addition under 6–10% by weight. Exceeding this can interfere with the resin's chemical cure, resulting in tacky, soft, or under-cured pieces. Mica powder is the safest option — it is inert and does not affect cure chemistry.
Alcohol inks create vivid, transparent colour and beautiful fluid effects. Because they are alcohol-based rather than water-based, they are generally safe for epoxy resin in small amounts (1–3 drops per 100g). UV resins are especially compatible with alcohol inks.
Acrylic paint is water-based, which can prevent epoxy from curing properly if used in large amounts. Limit acrylic paint to under 5% by volume and use thick body acrylics rather than fluid acrylics when possible.